Part 8 (2/2)
Rosalie wasn't mad. Nick didn't seem malicious. He was trying to protect himself. It wasn't as if he knew her. How would he know she wasn't a money-hungry b.i.t.c.h? Especially after that crack she'd made about him being Brooklyn's version of Donald Trump, who could blame him?
She threw her salad in the trash and straightened her desk. ”You know what? It doesn't matter. Our relations.h.i.+p is casual. What do I care if he's loaded? It's not as if I'm after him for his money.”
Gina shook her head and laughed. ”No, you're in it for the s.e.x. I knew something was different about you on Wednesday. You did more than eat dinner and watch hockey with your Romeo, didn't you?”
Sam stood and backed away. ”Um... okay, well, I guess I'll let you girls do whatever... um, my lunch hour ended ten minutes ago, and my partner... well, I gotta go.”
Sam all but ran out the door, the lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Gina stared at Rosalie as if she'd lost her mind.
”What do you want me to say, Gina? Do you want me to tell you I slept with him? Give you a blow-by-blow? Well, too bad. I don't have to explain my s.e.x life to you or anyone.”
”You're my best friend, and I worry about you. I know the type of guys you've gone out with. Dominick Romeo is way out of your league. Be careful, Rosalie.”
Her head snapped up at that one. ”Be careful of what?”
”He's a Romeo, chica. chica. If he had a dollar for every heart he's broken, his net worth would rival that of Bill Gates. The man is notorious.” If he had a dollar for every heart he's broken, his net worth would rival that of Bill Gates. The man is notorious.”
”You know me, Gina. I'm not looking for a relations.h.i.+p. I already told him that.”
”You gave Dominick Romeo the talk?”
”Of course. Monday I told him I was interested in good company-a monogamous, temporary relations.h.i.+p with no strings and no commitments. I said that if he was looking for more, he shouldn't waste his time with me.”
”And you believe this load of c.r.a.p?”
”What do you mean? Of course, I do. You know me. I don't have a problem keeping things simple. I don't like being tied down. I'm not the relations.h.i.+p type.”
”Did you ever think that maybe that's because you've only dated losers? Seriously, Rosalie. Who could fall for a guy like Joey?”
”Hey, he wasn't that bad.”
”Yeah, as long as you don't mind a total lack of substance and personality.”
What could she say? Gina was right. Dating Joey was like dating an android.
”You know Lana, my friend who works at the Shubert Theater? She told me Dominick Romeo dated What's-Her-Name, that Broadway Babe. There's a picture of them in that file. Lana's roommate, Liz, is a wardrobe mistress there and said Mr. Romeo was a fixture in What's-Her-Name's dressing room. He was hot and charming, and Broadway Babe was walking around with her head in the clouds and a stupid grin for a few months. She started talking about the lease on her apartment coming up, and she was thinking of moving in with him.”
”Gina... is this going to take much longer?” Just because she wasn't interested in being his significant other didn't mean she wanted to hear all the skinny on the women he dated.
Gina shot her a disgusted look. Rosalie mentally started filing her nails.
”No. Anyway, after the show one Friday, Romeo knocks on Broadway Babe's dressing room door and asks Liz to give them a minute. Liz took off, but she left her stuff because she still had to get the wardrobe ready for the Sat.u.r.day matinee...”
”Gina...”
”Don Juan... I mean, Romeo, was there for awhile and left alone, which wasn't unusual. None of the cast goes out Friday night, because it's hard to stay up all night and do two shows Sat.u.r.day.
”The point, Gina?”
”The point is, Liz went in to finish work, and Broadway Babe was lying prostrate with grief, crying so hard, she couldn't breathe. He'd dumped her. There she was, thinking everything was all hunky-dory, they'd move in together and get married or something, and he dumped her.”
”That's too bad for her, but it makes no difference to me. Nick and I have a deal. We agreed not to do love and commitment. We're going to keep it light, have a good time, and when it isn't a good time, we'll walk away. No harm, no foul. There's nothing to worry about.”
”Yeah, Rosalie, you keep telling yourself that. Remember, there's always a first time for everything, and since you've changed your MO, there's an even better chance you'll end up checking into Heartbreak Hotel.”
”Changed my MO?”
”Your modus operandi, modus operandi, your usual way of doing things.” your usual way of doing things.”
”I know what it means, Gina. What I don't know is how my MO has changed.”
”You're not dating a loser this time. Romeo is a hot, rich guy who has a reputation for keeping his woman happy until he breaks her heart and moves on to his next victim.”
”The same could be said for me. Well, except for the hot part, and the rich part, and maybe the happy part. But the breaking hearts and moving on parts are true enough.”
Rosalie set aside the file of information on Nick and watched as Gina put her hands on her tiny hips and did her Wicked Witch of the West laugh. Gina knew Rosalie well enough to know she was dying to see what other juicy gossip was in that file, but she wasn't about to admit it.
”So, what are you going to do to the lying, scheming, dirty, son-of-a-”
”Enough already. I'm going to do nothing. It doesn't matter if he's Nick Romeo or Nick Cage. Think about it. His money has to complicate his relations.h.i.+ps. Who could blame him for keeping it to himself? Think of all the women in New York whose only goal in life is to marry rich. He must feel objectified.”
”Dominick Romeo, the poor little rich boy.”
”Look Gina, he'll tell me when he's ready, or not. I'm not going to say anything, and if you ever meet him, neither will you. Do you understand me?”
”Fine, but don't expect me to join the Dominick Romeo Fan Club. I still object to what he's doing, even if you don't.”
”Fine. Now, would you take off your overprotective best friend hat and put on your loyal and able a.s.sistant hat? If you do, we might get through the books before tomorrow's meeting.” Rosalie blew her hair out of her eyes and shook her head. ”I almost wish Nick would tell me who he is. I could really use his industry know-how.”
Nick ended the call with his banker and beeped his a.s.sistant. ”Lois, has anyone called?”
”Not since the last time you asked.”
”I was on the phone-”
”And you told me to interrupt you if Ms. Ronaldi called. She did not.”
”Did you get the reports from Saunders? They were supposed to be on my desk by noon.”
”They were, and as far as I know, they still are. The third quarter reports are in the file labeled ”Third Quarter Reports.” And before you ask, the file you've been keeping on Premier Motors is in the folder labeled ”Premier Motors.” The takeover strategy and feasibility reports are on top. Is there anything else?”
”Yes, call the employment agency and get me an a.s.sistant without an att.i.tude.”
”As if anyone else would put up with you. If that's all, the other line is ringing.”
Nick hung up the phone, focused on the paper in front of him, and realized he was looking at the report he'd asked Lois about. d.a.m.n, he was losing it.
<script>